Gia Sharda
Beacon Software
“They believe in you even when you don't believe in yourself.”
Gia Sharda has been named to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, the annual award recognizing up to 100 leaders in each category of talent acquisition. Honorees are nominated by peers or found by committees that look for excellent work wherever it happens, then chosen for the depth of their craft and their impact on hiring. This is Gia's story.
Gia Sharda didn't set out to build a career in talent acquisition, but a lunchtime friendship and a product that needed engineers changed everything. She began in sales, armed with a bachelor's degree in computer information systems and economics, at an enterprise company building software products.
The team needed engineers, and it needed them quickly, if it was going to keep up with the CEO's requests for the product. On her lunch breaks, Gia would walk across to an agency called H.L. Yoh, where she struck up a friendship with a recruiter there. Learning about what recruiting actually meant intrigued her, and the curiosity turned practical soon enough: her company began using his services to hire the engineers it was short of.
A Deliberate Return
Then came graduate school, and a master's degree in management information systems. Gia returned to the workforce during the worst economic times, and the same CEO asked her to come back.
By then, she had realized something important. Recruitment was the part of the business that intrigued her most, so rather than drift back into her old lane, she joined an agency to formally learn the art and the science behind it. She loved every bit of it, and she never turned back.
The Talent 100 exists to celebrate the people shaping the future of how the world hires, and few embody that better than Gia. We are honored to welcome Gia Sharda to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, and grateful for the experience, perspective, and craft they bring to this community. Congratulations, Gia. Welcome to the Talent 100.
About the Talent 100
The Talent 100 is an annual list spotlighting the leaders who push HR and talent acquisition forward, organized by Noon AI. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees. Selection is entirely merit-based, with no fees or pay-to-play requirements.
